Motion-picture titler



Feb. 8, 1949. H. E. KLEIN-rop 2,461,285

MOTION-PICTURE TITLER Filed June 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNE YS.

Feb. 8, 1949. H E KLElN-rop 2,461,285

MOTION-PICTURE TITLER Filed June 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WI TNESSES INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 8, 1949.

Filed June 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ida 4g gg .l 'L m (l E". W1 TNESSES AEV 45 INVENTOR- 45 45 HdM/ZEC Kiez/211013,

A TTORNEYS.

, u BY Patented F eb. 8, 1949 UNITED", STATES PA'IT'EZISVITv OFFICE MQTION-PICTURE TITLER- Harold E; Kleintop, Parkesburg, Pa..

application June 6, 1945;` SeriaLNo.1 597,913,`

(Cl.- 8f3-1.6)

Claims. l

This invention relates `to apparatus generally7 knownA as titlers such asv employed inphotographing legends or explanatory-matter on motion picture lrns, and is concerned lmore particularly with titlers intended io: use by amateur 13h0- tographers.

Titlers of the kind referred to and commercially available heretofore consisted merely ofl a base with means for definitely; locating a motion pioture camera thereon.. an apertured easel in advance of the car-nera havingaslot at the backfor receiving-a titling sheet or-scroll and a standard` vfor supporting a titlei` lens in front of the camera lens. In theA use of a titler ofgthis sort, the sheet or-scroll, was threaded upward through the-slot of the-easel `and a transparent guide with aframe rectangle inscribed or printed. thereon placed in fro-nt of easel, whereupon said scroll was sniftedlaterally as necessary toj properly center the'titular matter within the rectangle on the guide.. Then, duringthe. titling, after removal of the guide, the titling ksheet wasv drawnupwardly manually through they slotioi the veasel-ata suggested rate until all the titular matter had passed beyond the aperture in said easel. In thus drawing` the sheet diliculty wasinvariably hadnot only in moving the sheet atan: evenA rate, lbut in keepingr thetitular matter properly centered, with theresult that it was irregularly photographed askew on the lm or run onbeyond one. or theI other side edgeoi the latter. Another drawback in .the use oi pre-existent titlers, was the impossibility of securing uniform illumination of the titling sheet during the titling since the-operator was obliged tohold a light bulb in one hand over the camera while manipulating the sheet with the other:

My invention is directedin the main toward overcoming the* above mentioned drawbacks, which objective is realized in practice as hereinafter more. fully disclosed, through provision in connection with a titl'er of the character briey outlined, oi mea-ns; whereby-y alegend bearing scroll web is supported in such manner that it can-be adjusted to accuratelyecenter-the titular matter relative to the exposure aperture in the easel as well' asgto determi-ne movement thereof in an absolutely straight line during the titling;

means for causing uniform advance ot the scroll;

at such a rate that the legends may be easilyread during subsequent exhibition of the photographic lm; xedilluminating means, insuring.A uniform lightE projection on the scroll during the titling; and means convenient of-access to thegoperator for controlling the driving and illuminating means.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appeal` from the following description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig 1. is a view in side tion l lbat the front end ofksaid top is an easel 22 elevation oi` a `photograploic titler conveniently embodying the present improvements..

Fig. 2in an end elevation of the titler as viewed from the vleft of Fig. 1.

Fig. `3 is across section taken as indicatedfby the Aangled arrows IIIIiI in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a. horizontal. section taken as indicated by. theY angledV arrowsIV-IV in Fig. 1.

As herein illustrated the titler includes a small .table-like base lll with. a horizontally elongate top Ilwh-ich. in the present instanceismadein two section lic and llb-respectivelyfashioned from sti sheet material with longitudinally-extending side` flanges, the section f I Ib overlapping the` section lla andthe two being permanently united yby yrivetingor otherwise. The legs I2 vand 13of thobase .are formed in pairs of-relatively stout stiff strpm-aterial with connectlngvrelnfcrcingrtie bars I2a, l3a,randare securedto the top; .l I -by screw bolts as instanced Vai; I5 in Fig.. 2. The-.base lIll serves as a support for a motion picturecalnerarepresented at C, and its topy I I is provded'adjacentthe.rear end thereof with a suitably,allocatedaperture for upward Vpassage` of theIV shank-ot athumb screwl IG-v arranged to engage intotheusual tripod* screw hole inv` the camera bottom to --rmly hold the camera in place. Theproper lposition for the'camerais otherwise determined by upstanding; stop studs II onthe .basato-pl I againstwhich the camera is laterally abutted-.- Pivotall-y connected at I8 tothe side nan-ges ofv the sectiongl la atan intermediatepoint ofthe base top II is a standard I9 for the titling lensZ; and similarly connected at'2l to ,thesecwith' a frame aperture 23 in axial. align-ment with the camera lens L.

For; thepurpose of movability supporting a titlinguscroll web W oipaper orythe like for verticlmovernentvacross ythe frame aperture 23 ingthe easel 22,1 have provided a bracket 25. with: arms 25;-and2l reaching upwardly and forwardly-respectively from-the: opposite ends of .a cross bar 28; which extends transversely beneath thel base top II adjacent the front endzof the latter. As shown, the cross bar 28 of the bracket 25 has ntegra'lly-'formed axially-aligned elongate trunnions. 29 and 3U which respectively projectfor- Warclly andA rearwardly therefrom'- at the4 center, said trunnions being journaled in mediallydisposed bearings Slaan-d 31a. pendent from'the base topzI I falon-g its longitudinal cen-ter. Also pendent from the base top I I is a bifurcatedprojection 32..which straddlesthe trunion 30; Threadedjinto thebifurcate extremities of the projection 3-2 from, opposite-l sidesl are` set screws 33;; and'Y 34 whereof the inner ends are rounded to `bear With single point contact against the opposite sides of a pendent radial projection 35 on the trunnion 3G, said screws having knurled manipulating shaft. A similar transverse shaft 49 is journaled in bearings at the ends of the forwardly project- "f ing arms 21 of the bracket 25, and on it is freely mounted a supply spool 4| for the scrollv web W. Here also, the shaft is formed with threaded portions 40a adjacent its ends for engagement by winged adjusting clamp nuts 42.

' Aflixed to one end of the upper spool shaft 35 is a sprocket wheel 43 which through a chain 45 is connected to a sprocket pinion 45 on the shaft of an electricV motor 41 supported by a winglike projection 49 vwhich is secured to and extends downward from the cross bar 28 of the bracket 25 adjacent one end of said bar. Aspring friction brake linger 49 secured at its lower end lby a rivet 50 to the tie bar |211 connecting the table legs l2, has its upper end bearing against' the supply spool 4l to yieldingly restrain rotation of said spool and so keep the web W taut at all times.

Rising from the base l0 at the rear end of its `top il is a forwardly reaching crook arm' 5| which xedly supports an electric bulb 52 with a reector 53 above and somewhat forward of lthe lens standardV I9 to project light upon the "portion of the scroll web W exposed in the frame laperture 23 of the easel 22.

Electric current for the motor 41 and lamp 52 is conducted through 'a cord 54 with a plug 55 which maybe connected I to any suitable source of current supply; and toggle switches 56 and 51 are provided on the `base top Il adjacent its rear end for separately `controlling the motor 41 and the lamp 52.

y From the foregoing it will be seen that through my 'invention it is possible to accurately position 'the scroll web W axially relative to the frame aperture 23 in the easel 22 by manipulating the -set screws 33 and 34 to swing the bracket 25 about the axis of its trunnions 29 and 3D to the 1` extent' necessary; as well as to properly center W may be successively photographed by intermittently shifting said web as required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A motion picture titler including in combination, a horizontal base for statlonarily supporting Aa motion picture camera; a transversely arranged easel on the base having a frame aperture in axial alignment with the lens of the camera; a vertical bracket for rotatably sustaining at its top and bottom respectively, supply and take up spools for passage of a legend bearing scroll across the frame aperture of the easel, said braket having a bar extending transversely thereof at the bottom and a horizontal axis pivot trunnion centrally of said bar at right angles to the spool axes; a bearing in which the trunnion is rotatively supported from the base; and regulatable set screws also supported from the base and engaging a radial projection on the trunnion aforesaid from opposite sides for adjusting the bracket about the trunnion axis to align the scroll vertically with the frame aperture of the easel.

2. A motion picture titler including in combination, a horizontal base for stationarily supporting a motion picture camera; a transversely arranged easel on the base having a frame aperture in axial alignment with the lens of the camera; a vertical bracket for rotatably sustaining at its top and bottom respectively, supply and take up spools for passage of a legend bearing scroll across the frame aperture of the easel, said bracket having a bar extending transversely thereof; a horizontal axis pivot centrally of said bar at right angles to the spool axes; a bearing in which the pivot is rotatively supported from the base; and means for adjusting the bracket 'about the pivot to align the scroll vertically with the frame aperture of the easel.

said web laterally relative to said aperture ,l

thro-ugh adjustment of the spools 31 and 4Iv longitudinally on their spindles by means of the Winged nuts 38 and 42. These adjustments are readily effected bythe operator positioned at -the rear end of the apparatus with his arms ex- :tending forwardly along opposite sides thereof,

the screws 33v and 34 and the nuts 38 and 42 befor easy reading of the descriptive matter photo- Y graphed on the lilm during subsequent exhibition projection.

Obviously, my improved titler is not limited to 4the photographing of running descriptive matter, since simple titles serially-arranged on the web 3. The invention according to claim 2, wherein the spools for the scroll web are freely mounted on shafts rotative in bearing arms of the bracket; and wherein Winged nuts in engagement with threaded portions adjacent the ends oi the respective shafts bear against the corresponding ends of the spools to clamp them, with capacity for independent endwise adjustment, to said shafts.

4. ,The invention according to claim 2, further including means carried by the adjustable bracket for driving the take-up spool for the scroll web.

5. The invention according to claim 2, further including an electric motor carried by the adjustable bracket; and a gearing connection between the shaft o said motor and the take-up .spool for the scroll web.

HAROLD E. KLEINTOP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

